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Podcasts are my new favorite thing. Not like just now new but, like over the past 2 years. I began with one podcasts and from there I learned of another and another. The lists just keeps growing. Why is this one of my favorite things? First, it is because anyone who desires can go on the airwaves of iTunes, Sound Cloud, Spotify and probably others to express their thoughts, views, and opinions on anything they want. This is one way that I think technology is rockin’ it out. I remember years ago sitting on my front porch thinking talking to one of my BFF’s (Michelle) on the phone and I was saying how I wish I could have my own talk show on the radio because Nancy Grace never gives anyone the chance to talk on her show. She always cuts them off. I’m not hating on Nancy Grace. She is good at what she does or she wouldn’t have been on National TV…..but, that’s where I was at that moment. So fast forward a few years and here we go… podcasting. I have not tried to create my own podcast but, a couple of the ones on my list here today say they began podcasting right on their iPhones with the earphones that came with the phone and using the garage band app. How easy is that? Makes me want to try it out too… (adding to my to do list as we speak).

Today I want to share with you my favorite podcasts. I can’t even remember how I found them all but, if I do I will share that with you too. These podcasts give me so much. I get energized, motivated, educated, laughter and, truth-telling through from my mobile phone; all for free. That is the best part. A lot of this stuff is priceless and these ladies and gentlemen are giving it away. And I can listen all day. My road trip playlist now days are not set to music. It is set to podcasts.

Check out my favorites and let me know if I’m missing out on any good ones!

What’s in my iTunes podcast library?

Happy Black Woman Podcast: This is the very first podcast I pushed play on. I was already following the Happy Black Woman Rosetta Thurman on social media for her great business advice, webinars and, I also took one of her online classes. So naturally when she said she was starting a podcast I followed her right on over to iTunes. I thought that this was an awesome idea. She was now interviewing women all over the world who were entrepreneurs; running their own business and their own lives. If you want business and or life inspiration; go here.

The Mattie James Show: (formerly Mattieologie) You know how you click on one thing on your phone and then something else comes up and then the traffic light turns green and you have to move or be moved? That’s how I came across the Mattie James Show. And, I have not looked back. My favorite thing about Mattie James is she is direct and to the point. She gives you advice for running an online business in a 5-10 minute podcast and keeps it moving. I can binge listen to her all day because of her efficiency. Here is where you can find more on Mattie James.

Myleik Teele’s Podcast: If you don’t know who Myleik is, get to know her. Quick. Ms. Teele is the founder of Curl Box. The first hair care subscription order service for women of color. This service is EXCLUSIVE. You can’t just click to order at any given day and time. You have to wait. Wait for the invitation; for the date and time to order and you have to do it fast because once she has the numbers she wants; it’s a wrap until the next month and you have to try again if you miss out. Trust me. This has happened to me. lol. That’s one of the things that makes her stand out. Her podcast is another. She is another gem dropping gems about life, entrepreneurship, running her business and most recently preparing for motherhood while running her business. On her podcast she interviews people, answers questions from her fans and listeners and then she just talks about what’s on her mind. She reminds me a lot of my sister. They both strive for excellence on the daily. I want to be more like the both of them. Learn more about Myleik Teele here.

The Think & Grow Chick: Courtney Sanders is the Think & Grow Chick (a play on words “Think and Grow Rich”). **She started podcasting in her car into her phone with the earphones that came with her phone.** I first heard her speak on Myleik Teele’s podcasts sometime last year. I was immediately impressed with her truth-telling her story about how she was asked to leave university for failing her classes and going broke trying to start her a natural hair care business when she was supposed to be in class. Courtney didn’t give up on her dreams of becoming an Entrepreneur or finishing college. She has done both. Successfully. She is now a full-time entrepreneur and also becoming a mom. On her podcast she tells her story, interviews other thought leaders, gives free advice on starting your own online business and offers coaching and classes. A lot of her online classes are very economical which is another reason why I like her a lot. She is thinking of her customers when she creates her programs.

Hashtags & Stilettos: This podcast is brought to us by Sakita Holley, a Public Relations Strategist. Following the same theme as the other podcasts, giving business advice but from a networking stand point. I love this because; I am an introvert. Any advice Ms. Holley can give me to push me out of my comfort zone and into some collaborations and some dollar signs is greatly appreciated. Again, all for free through her podcast.

YES, GIRL!- By Essence Magazine: The three ladies that hold this chat room down are hilarious. I’ve only been listening to YES, GIRL! for a little bit of time but the hosts Cori Murray, Yolanda Sangweni and, Charli Penn really know how to have a good time. This podcasts celebrates and loves on everybody black.

Plus Size Magic Radio: The graduate student is talking about all things affecting people of the plus size…How awesome is that? The good and the bad. Plus Size Magic Radio is still pretty new; premiering just last August. But, Ellise Smith is making waves with her podcast and her brand Fatness Fiction brought to us to dispel the negative narrative that usually goes along with being plus size, or big & tall.

Bourbon & Boyshorts: (Finally I get to talk about men for a minute, lol.) Hosted by Kyle and Jeremy is all about love, life and, libations per their description. I am not sure how I found these two young men (probably clicked on the link based on the photo alone). Anyway….I like them. They are having a good time exchanging ideas with each other and their female guests. I enjoy listening to them as they express themselves and the male mind. You can find them on FB and on Instagram @BourbonandBoyshorts.

Food Blogger Pro: Bjork Ostrom is the host of this very valuable podcasts. Bjork is out there interviewing just about everyone who is doing some type of online food business. Books, blogging, You Tubing, Food Photography and even a tv series; almost anyone doing anything online in the food world that you can think of he is talking to them. Asking what worked for them, how did they reach success and, so much more. I find these episodes inspiring and motivational to keep going every time I am not sure about something. Bjork and his wife Lindsay run a food blog called “Pinch of Yum” and they also run a subscription based food blogging school also called Food Blogger Pro.

There it is! Another list of favorites. You can find all of these podcasts on iTunes. That’s where I listen. Search for these and more on your podcast’s search engine.

P.S. This list is not in any particular order. Probably, just in the order that I learned of them. Give them a listen and tell me what you think by posting a comment here on the blog, Facebook or Instagram.

Seven days is not enough…Taking on two Texas cities calls for at least one week in each city. Nothing in the Houston Area is quick and around the corner from what I can tell. Here are some notes/advisements I thought I could share when planning a big trip:

Do a lot of research on places of interest to you.

Create a daily to-do list and a plan of attack.

Map out destination locations and plan your tour according to distance and proximity. (If there are events, places, and restaurants of interest in the same or close area plan to see those on the day, permitting there is no conflict with dress code or other requirements.) Doing this will allow you and your companions to cover more ground in less time on your trip.

Start early in the day on your adventure.

Find out in-advance which places are difficult to get into, will most likely will have a wait, and/or requires pre purchasing tickets.

Parking? How much does it cost? Is it close to your event or destination?

Last but not least… If you are planning for public transportation such as Uber or Lyft verify that it these services are available in that area. (Trust me.)

**Following these pre planning steps should insure you and your accompaniment a smooth and successful time on your trip.**

Have you ever been to Central Market Gourmet Grocery Store?….This lovely place houses everything noteworthy for making your breakfast, lunch, dinner or event the best of the best. I love, love, love grocery stores… Not just any grocery stores though. I love the kind that inspire me to cook great food or try new ingredients because their ingredients look good enough to eat right there in the store. Isn’t that good looking food when you just want to create something delicious on the spot? From domestic and exotic produce like baby pineapples and kumquats and dragonfruits to cheeses of every flavor and texture, and $17 dollar jams and jellies too. (That is not a typo and I did not buy it. I wanted to though.) The meat department would make you flip it starts from one wall and ends on the other just for the fish and seafood and on the other side is the beef, pork and poultries and its wall to wall too!. Then there is the dried spices and herbs section, it is pretty cool to offer such a broad spectrum of flavors and be able to purchase just what you need. No need to buy a whole jar of anything there if you will never need it again or just want to sample it for your dish. You can just buy what you need. If lived in this area, Central Market Grocery and I would be on a first name basis.

The bakery section has an infinite number of baked goods and fresh breads ready to eat.

The Cheese section. That’s all I have to say about that. Cheese is everything.

Chef prepared hot foods and cold food selections.

Cooking Classes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Healthy Living Department

Housewares, Dinnerwares, and Cookwares

I could’ve stayed there for one full day, just creating ideas in my head….One day I will. Next time you’re in Texas look for Central Market. You won’t be sorry.

Central Markets shopping bag gives hints to all the awesomeness inside the store.
On Friday during my Houston/Austin Texas takeover we visited Bourdreaux’s a Cajun restaurant and bar. It was early evening and not very busy in the bar section so we sat there and ordered Frozen Hurricanes. I also ordered a basket of Hushpuppies with jalapeno’s. Hushpuppies are especially delicious when they are hot just out of the fryer… Bourdreaux’s served the fried cornbreads with butter. That was new for me. I eat butter always on cornbread, but never considered it for my hushpuppies.. I continued to think further on it. Why not honey butter or why not just honey? That would be delicious…. Savory hot fried cornbread rounds with honey or maybe even a good maple syrup?….. Ok, let me calm down…… I will have to try it at home……In the mean time these hushpuppies make the grade.

Frozen Hurricanes…..

From Boudreaux’s we ventured on to what is know as “The Flat” a Houston area bar/grill music venue. This hidden gem gave me a bohemian vibe just from the lighting and ambiance… The DJ kept the mood right with music that switched from Hip Hop to R & B without pause keeping us music lovers satisfied. It was still early evening and not a whole lot of patrons, but I appreciated the atmosphere and the beats. The outdoor patio area still had more to offer with the rhythmic sounds playing outside too. The perimeter was enclosed with wooden fencing and lined with planted trees and various greenery. Lighting the early night would be white lined lights. It was beautiful. This place was perfect for a girl like me who appreciates intimate music lounges. No disappointments here. Good music. Good people. Good Vibes.The Flat offers coffee options too I see!

The patio in the back of The Flat.
From the flat we Uber’ed to Cowboys and Indians. A Tex- In kitchen. Get it? A Texas, Indian Kitchen A blend of Texas American food with the flavors and spices of India is what the description advises. Cowboys and Indians offers a variety of dishes for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans too. Offering traditional burgers, fries, and salads and american desserts for the Cowboy appetites and if you desire Indian tastings you would be happy to see Butter Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Vindaloo, Beef Coconut Curry and more. Being semi full from the hushpuppies I decided to go with the Beef Samosa’s (flaky pastries filled with ground beef and onions). I opted out of the offered dipping sauce for traditonal barbeque sauce. Mi hermana (my sister) offered the no meat option of this same dish. Hers was filled with curried potatoes and peas. She also had the crispy fries.

Beef Samosa’s: Tasty!!
We sat outside in the covered patio section, the weather was threatening to rain and the sprinkles were beginining when we arrived but with the patio being covered there were no worries of being saturated by the water. So far I can say that I love the option of being able to dine outside at a lot of eateries. This is one my favorite things in Texas.

Me again, in the covered patio section of Cowboys and Indians.

Lastly on this weather perfect Friday night we made our final appearances for the evening at The Alley Kat bar. The music was pumping as soon as you hit the door. The source was unknown. People were enjoying the sounds, the drinks and each other. Out of all the places we checked out tonight, this place had the largest turnout. The Alley Kat was like a maze to me. There was an upstairs featuring live music, and a separate downstairs section with more music possibly coming from a sound system, and outdoor seating protected from the immediate outside. The best part of Alley Kat was the female singer. I did not catch her name and I am still disgruntle over it… I just remember her singing like Chrisette Michele covering an India Arie song. She was great. Her performance to me was definitely worth that stop.

Number one was done. Number 2 was getting checked off on Saturday, and number three I didn’t think was going to happen. Katrina was not interested in going to The Breakfast Klub which is quite a hike from the home base, you’re almost always guaranteed a wait and with limited hours of operation (so we thought) it was looking like a “no go”. I had given up on eating at the Zagat rated restaurant. While walking through the maze of The Alley Kat bar a sign was posted noting The Breakfast Klub is now open from 10pm-3am. YES! YES! YES!.. There’s still a chance!…… The Alley Kat sat right behind The Breakfast Klub. I was destined to be there after all….It was fate….. Again, so I thought. My belly had been feeling queasy and full since the Hurricanes and I could not even consider just doing just a tasting here; where they were once voted one of the best breakfasts across america. I wanted to have a full scale smorgasbord tasting. The menu boasts of pancakes, wings and waffles, katfish and grits, biscuits and gravy, eggs and more!!!! I am heartbroken. No Breakfast Klub for me. Not tonight. Not this trip….

Today I am recovered from my Hurricane belly. I miss those wings and waffles I haven’t met yet. I was so close…..Yet, so far.

Making the painful decision to abstain from breakfast for dinner; we decided to head to the homestead and prepare for tomorrow. Austin Texas our weekend adventure!